The Youngest Warrior
by Cearta Day
Summary: When TK causes a fist fight at school, it prompts Hiroaki to find out what exactly is on his youngest son's mind. One-shot


Random scene from my rewrite of 02. I'm bad at finishing things as some of you may know, so I posted this because I figured I'll never actually write the whole story up to this scene.

My rewrite changes a lot, but basically you just need to know that TK lives with his dad and Matt, and he's the leader for 02 because Tai made him do it, not by his own choice.

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The Youngest Warrior

"Your son started a fist fight at school. You'll need to come pick him up."

Hiroaki sighed. It's been awhile since he got that call. "Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine, just a few scratches. The other kid got off worse."

He tried not to grin at that. He didn't endorse this behavior at all, but at least he was a good fighter. "Alright, I'll be there soon to pick Matt up."

"It's not Matt. Your other son."

'…_Oh...'_

He blinked while trying to picture TK starting a fight. He couldn't. "…Really?"

"Yes, really," The nurse assured obviously losing her patience. "Now I have a few kids sick from the cafeteria's casserole, so if you would be so kind as to let me go."

"Of course, I'll be right there," Hiroaki mumbled not really registering what she had said. He hung up the phone and stared out his office window momentarily.

'_TK? Are they sure they got the right kid?'_

Sure enough, Hiroaki met up with his youngest son, ruffled up and head hanging low, and was informed of his three day suspension. The normally cheery and talkative child followed his father out to the van in a solemn, sorrowful silence.

Hiroaki must've been driving for at least half an hour waiting for his son to initiate the conversation. He'd learned from Matt to wait for him to start because he won't talk until he's ready.

As he stopped the car in the back parking lot of a local fish restaurant, he stole a look at his youngest, head to the window and thumbs twiddling restlessly.

Hiroaki sighed. Maybe two different boys meant two different approaches.

"We need to talk."

TK wore a disturbed look. "This isn't going to be like the last time we had a 'talk' is it?"

"No! No, not that kind of talk! Unless of course you had questions?"

"No, I'm good," the son assured hurriedly.

Hiroaki curled his hands tighter around the steering wheel but leaned back slightly trying to appear casual. "Listen, I need to know what's going on. A fight's something I'd expect from Matt, not you. What happened?"

The son trained his eyes on a dumpster in the distance, but his voice remained as eerily cheery as ever. "Nothing, don't worry, it won't happen again."

"It better not," Hiroaki said, a little too forcefully for his currently fragile son, "and it's not just this. I know you've been sneaking out."

TK's eyes shot from the dumpster to his dad then down at the dashboard. "Matt told on me?" He knew his brother was angry with him, but he didn't think it was enough to give him away.

"He's had to make up so many stories for you that the only thing left was the truth."

"So you know everything?"

Hiroaki wanted to laugh. When it came to the Digital World he would never know or even understand everything like his sons did. "I know that _they're_ back, and that's where you're always running off too. I also think that… maybe that's why you wanted to live with me? Because your mother would've never approved?"

TK tried to clear his throat. He hadn't realized how dry it was. "You saw her a few years ago. She's afraid of them. She'd never let me help but… the digimon need me, Dad, and so do the other Chosen Children.

His father took a hand off the wheel to rub the back of his neck. He'd learned from experiencing that hiding things from his ex-wife never works in his favor.

"TK, your mother's already upset you moved here. If she knew it was to fight monsters and put yourself in danger, she'd kill me then put you and Matt on the next plane out of Japan and as far away from the digimon as possible. I just… I can't keep this from her."

"Why not?" TK's words were stubborn and harsh. "You don't tell her a lot of things. Please, I don't want you to fight over this."

Hiroaki grimaced. Anytime he and his ex-wife disagreed it turned into a fight. He couldn't imagine what that was like for his sons. "We won't fight. We just need to discuss."

His son knew full well he was sugar-coating things. They'd argue, interrupt, and start yelling. They wouldn't listen to each other and end up not even hearing themselves as they fought simply for the sake of angering someone they once loved, and the blame would all be on TK for switching parents and lying to both.

TK spoke not with a fake cheeriness or a masking harshness. He spoke with all honesty and winced when he heard how pathetic he sounded. "Please, leave her out of it. Or if you want, you can send me back, and we can forget this ever happened. Just don't fight over it. It's my fault you and mom are always fighting."

"What? No, it's not," Hiroaki said reflexively.

His son didn't respond; he didn't think he had to. They had barely even been talking let alone fighting before TK asked to live with his dad. Since then they'd started up again. They'd have shouting matches on the phone just the same as when he was young, only this time it was his father's voice that kept him from falling asleep.

TK stared down at his hands firmly locked together in his lap._ 'I made them hate each other again.' _"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Hmm?" Hiroaki prompted hoping for his son to speak up.

"I'm sorry." His voice broke, but he kept going knowing his voice was only the first thing to go. "I'm sorry for not telling Mom and lying to you and making you look like a bad parent. I'm sorry I hit that guy at school and that I can't even tell you why I did." TK took a deep breath and felt the blood rush to his head and pressure on the back of his eyes. "I'm sorry Matt's mad at me and I wrecked your lives by moving here… and I'm sorry that after all this I still have to go back to the Digital World later today."

Hiroaki tapped the steering wheel as he tried to put all the pieces together. This had to be everything that was bothering his son, right? No, there were still a few pieces missing.

"I heard you're the leader this time around? They been giving you any grief?"

TK stiffened. The pressure around his eyes just kept growing, and if he didn't let it out he'd end up with a headache instead. "I don't want to be leader."

"Why not?"

"Because." He had half a mind to keep his answer at that, but moisture filled his eyes and he realized now, after getting in a fight, infuriating his brother, and disappointing his team, now with his father was a better time than any to finally admit the truth. "Because I never wanted to be the leader, and now that I am, everyone expects me to always know what to do, but I never know what to do. I've been doing this longer than any of them, and I still don't have a clue. I'm supposed to be the guy who helps and lifts people's spirits, not the one who tells them what to do."

His dad was about to respond, but TK continued in a slight outburst, and Hiroaki caught sight of his son's hat scrunched up in his lap. "If I weren't leader I'd never have had to move here, but I am so I did, and now everything's changing again! Our family and the Digital World and me… It's all changing, and I can't keep up! I should be able to, and I should've saved those Numemon yesterday, but I just can't! They expect me to do everything, but I can't do anything!"

Hiroaki put his forehead to the steering wheel and let that all sink in. He rolled his forehead against the wheel to give TK a perplexed look. "Is this what you think about?"

TK looked in his dad's direction but didn't once meet his eyes. "…Sometimes… A lot, yes."

'_Ooh boy….'_ There was a long, subdued silence while Hiroaki thought over everything his son had said. He probably was a bad parent if he hadn't realized how much his youngest was dealing with. If Matt had poured all his troubles out like this, the correct response was to let him keep talking because eventually he would answer his own questions, realize his mistakes and end up forgiving himself, but TK wasn't Matt, and he needed someone to tell him before he would believe it.

"TK… Takeru… TK, I don't think you realize how glad I am you moved in."

His son was busy furiously rubbing his eyes causing red marks all around, but he looked up to his father if only for a moment. "You're glad?"

Hiroaki took notice of his son's eye contact and gave him a grin. "Well for starters the apartment's never been this clean."

TK felt like he should smile at that, but his frown deepened. "Matt doesn't like me moving his stuff even when he leaves it in the middle of the kitchen."

"You know him; he gets mad if you look at him funny," Hiroaki said, "and think about how much more I see you now."

"I never saw you before."

Hiroaki couldn't tell if it was just a statement or an accusation but either way it made him wince. "But now I get to see you every day! I actually get to be your dad, and as your dad I think it's time for a favorite father-son past time: lunch."

A hint of amusement snuck into TK's reply, "That's a past time?"

His dad shrugged. "If it isn't it should be. Come on, you can tell me all about the digimon inside, alright? I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Hiroaki already started getting out of the car, and TK scrambled with his seatbelt. He took a deep breath and looked over at his dad. Even though he'd gotten used to him being gone, TK had missed him over the years so getting to spend time with him was one good thing that came out of his move to Odaiba.

He left his crumbled hat on the seat and climbed out of the car. "Hey, Dad?" he said.

"Yeah?" Hiroaki looked to his son who wore a grin that wasn't quite his usual but was definitely an improvement from the car ride.

"Thanks."

His dad shook his head, but a smile crossed his face. "Why? I'm not doing anything."

TK nodded, "Yes, you are." Even though he had the fate of a world and his own well being as well as the rest of the Chosen Children to worry about, there was still something comforting about the simple fact that his dad was there and willing to help in any way he could.

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Thanks for reading!


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